Common Core
The Common Core standards are a state led effort to create a clear framework that will better prepare students for college and the workforce. The consistency of standards across the country will allow students to reach important educational benchmarks regardless of where they live. Students will engage in rigorous study and through study they will gain knowledge and high order thinking skills. The common core standards require that “students gain, evaluate, and present increasingly complex information, ideas, and evidence through listening and speaking as well as through media” (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGA Center] & Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2012, p.1). Students are expected to engage in academic discussion. This is often through informal discussion as students collaborate together to answer questions. The use of media and technology is an integral part in education and the social lives of students; therefore, the Common Core standards integrate critical analysis and production of media.
Common Core standards are adopted on a state level and are not nationally mandated. The standards are only used for English and Mathematics. These two subjects were chosen because students can build skill sets that can be utilized in all of their other subjects. They are also the two subjects that are also the most frequently tested by states for student and teacher accountability. As more states implement common core standards more publishers and educators will produce instructional materials to be used in the classroom (NGA Center & CCSSO, 2012).
How Does BYOD Relate to the Common Core Standards?
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is developing the next generation of standardized testing that aligns with the Common Core standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The testing will be computer based and will consist of two parts. The first part is multiple choice questions that are adaptive to the student’s learning level. As students answer questions the test adapts to their learning level creating individualized tests. This allows the test to be more secure than a traditional paper and pencil test and a more accurate means to determine student achievement. The second part of the test will be a performance task where students will have to critically analyze material to develop a solution for a real world situation. The overall goal is to understand the students’ ability to research, analyze text, and express through writing and speech their thoughts on various topics. The testing can also be done on an interim basis during the year to determine what areas are weak for students. This allows educators to differentiate and modify instruction to meet those students’ needs (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2012).
The Smarter Balanced Consortium has developed a framework of guidelines and specifications that schools need to adhere to in order to effectively administer the Smarter Balanced computer test. Currently the framework does not include the use of Bring Your Own Devices as a means to take the test. The framework for testing starting in 2014-2015 focuses on having school districts meet the basic hardware and software requirements for their laptops and desk top computers. The framework does allow for districts to plan for the future with the implementation of mobile devices and tablets. The framework calls for school districts to establish new technology initiatives in how computers are checked out, technology carts are moved class to class and the use of student owned devices. Because the test is secure, Smarter Balanced requires that students take the test on a school computer that has been installed with a secure browser. This prevents screen shots from being taken and blocks students from accessing anything other than the test; however, students with their own devices are allowed to access practice tests from any web browser at home or school. Schools that utilize tablets have to follow strict guidelines in order to use them for testing. The screen must be no less than 9.5 inches, have a revolution of 1024x768 and have the ability for students to type using a plug and play keyboard (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2013).
BYOD in the Classroom for Digital Literacy
In an article by Joe Wood (2012) he analyzed how educators are using digital literacy in their classrooms. Digital literacy is “reading digital text, writing digital text, and developing the technical skills necessary to consume and produce these texts” (Wood, 2012, p.1). Digital literacy is a key component of the Common Core standards and of the Smarter Balance assessments. Schools may not have enough computers for educators to implement digital literacy in their classrooms, but if effectively done students can use their own devices to practice digital literacy. Educators can integrate lesson plans that allows students to create slide shows, post videos, blog, tweet, update on Facebook, and even text. As students engage with technology as part of the lesson, they should transition into being able to conduct research, integrate knowledge, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various technological devices needed to accomplish a given goal. Educators will need to work carefully with students and their devices to help them determine the most appropriate way to share their ideas effectively (Wood, 2012).
The Smarter Balanced System Requirements Specifications
Operating System
Minimum Requirements
Recommended New Purchases
Windows
Windows XP (service pack 3) Pentium 233 MHz processor 128 MB RAM 52 MB hard drive free space
Windows 7+ 1GHz processor 1GB RAM 80 GB hard drive or at least 1GB of hard drive space available
Mac OS X
Mac OS X 10.4.4 Macintosh computer with Intel x86 or PowerPC G3 (300 MHz) processor, 256 MB RAM, 200 MB hard drive free space
Mac OS X 10.7+ 1 GHz processor 1GB RAM 80 GB hard drive or at least 1GB of hard drive space available
Linux
Linux (Ubuntu 9-10, Fedora 6) Pentium II or AMD K6-III 233 MHz processor 64 MB RAM 52 MB hard drive free space
Linux (Ubuntu 11.10, Fedora 16) 1 GHz processor 1GB RAM 80 GB hard drive or at least 1GB of hard drive space available
References:
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. (2012). The standards. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Common Core
The Common Core standards are a state led effort to create a clear framework that will better prepare students for college and the workforce. The consistency of standards across the country will allow students to reach important educational benchmarks regardless of where they live. Students will engage in rigorous study and through study they will gain knowledge and high order thinking skills. The common core standards require that “students gain, evaluate, and present increasingly complex information, ideas, and evidence through listening and speaking as well as through media” (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGA Center] & Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2012, p.1). Students are expected to engage in academic discussion. This is often through informal discussion as students collaborate together to answer questions. The use of media and technology is an integral part in education and the social lives of students; therefore, the Common Core standards integrate critical analysis and production of media.
Common Core standards are adopted on a state level and are not nationally mandated. The standards are only used for English and Mathematics. These two subjects were chosen because students can build skill sets that can be utilized in all of their other subjects. They are also the two subjects that are also the most frequently tested by states for student and teacher accountability. As more states implement common core standards more publishers and educators will produce instructional materials to be used in the classroom (NGA Center & CCSSO, 2012).
How Does BYOD Relate to the Common Core Standards?
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is developing the next generation of standardized testing that aligns with the Common Core standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The testing will be computer based and will consist of two parts. The first part is multiple choice questions that are adaptive to the student’s learning level. As students answer questions the test adapts to their learning level creating individualized tests. This allows the test to be more secure than a traditional paper and pencil test and a more accurate means to determine student achievement. The second part of the test will be a performance task where students will have to critically analyze material to develop a solution for a real world situation. The overall goal is to understand the students’ ability to research, analyze text, and express through writing and speech their thoughts on various topics. The testing can also be done on an interim basis during the year to determine what areas are weak for students. This allows educators to differentiate and modify instruction to meet those students’ needs (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2012).
The Smarter Balanced Consortium has developed a framework of guidelines and specifications that schools need to adhere to in order to effectively administer the Smarter Balanced computer test. Currently the framework does not include the use of Bring Your Own Devices as a means to take the test. The framework for testing starting in 2014-2015 focuses on having school districts meet the basic hardware and software requirements for their laptops and desk top computers. The framework does allow for districts to plan for the future with the implementation of mobile devices and tablets. The framework calls for school districts to establish new technology initiatives in how computers are checked out, technology carts are moved class to class and the use of student owned devices. Because the test is secure, Smarter Balanced requires that students take the test on a school computer that has been installed with a secure browser. This prevents screen shots from being taken and blocks students from accessing anything other than the test; however, students with their own devices are allowed to access practice tests from any web browser at home or school. Schools that utilize tablets have to follow strict guidelines in order to use them for testing. The screen must be no less than 9.5 inches, have a revolution of 1024x768 and have the ability for students to type using a plug and play keyboard (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, 2013).
BYOD in the Classroom for Digital Literacy
In an article by Joe Wood (2012) he analyzed how educators are using digital literacy in their classrooms. Digital literacy is “reading digital text, writing digital text, and developing the technical skills necessary to consume and produce these texts” (Wood, 2012, p.1). Digital literacy is a key component of the Common Core standards and of the Smarter Balance assessments. Schools may not have enough computers for educators to implement digital literacy in their classrooms, but if effectively done students can use their own devices to practice digital literacy. Educators can integrate lesson plans that allows students to create slide shows, post videos, blog, tweet, update on Facebook, and even text. As students engage with technology as part of the lesson, they should transition into being able to conduct research, integrate knowledge, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various technological devices needed to accomplish a given goal. Educators will need to work carefully with students and their devices to help them determine the most appropriate way to share their ideas effectively (Wood, 2012).
The Smarter Balanced System Requirements Specifications
Pentium 233 MHz processor
128 MB RAM
52 MB hard drive free space
1GHz processor
1GB RAM
80 GB hard drive or at least 1GB
of hard drive space available
Macintosh computer with
Intel x86 or PowerPC G3
(300 MHz) processor,
256 MB RAM, 200 MB
hard drive free space
1 GHz processor
1GB RAM
80 GB hard drive or at least 1GB
of hard drive space available
(Ubuntu 9-10, Fedora 6)
Pentium II or AMD K6-III
233 MHz processor
64 MB RAM
52 MB hard drive free space
(Ubuntu 11.10, Fedora 16)
1 GHz processor
1GB RAM
80 GB hard drive or at least 1GB
of hard drive space available
running Android 4.0+
running Android 4.0+
running Windows 8+
running Windows 8+
Chrome OS (v19)+
Chrome OS (v19)+
Information from http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarter-balanced-assessments/technology/
References:
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. (2012).
The standards. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. (2012). Technology. Retrieved from
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarter-balanced-assessments/technology/
Wood, J. ( 2012, March 30). Digital literacy and common core [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://www.joewoodonline.com/digital-literacy-common-core/